Tanzania is bringing the Internet to Mount Kilimanjaro for Instagram-hungry tourists
At an event Tuesday at an altitude of about 12,450 feet (3,795 meters) above sea level, Nnawe announced that high-speed Internet provided by the state-run Tanzania Telecommunications Corp. is now available to all.
Planning lengthen coverage to Uhuru Peak, 19,291 feet (5,880 meters) above sea level, they will be in place at the end of the year, he added.
“Before, it was a bit dangerous for visitors and porters who had to work without internet,” Nnawe said. according to to AFP. “All visitors will join … (up to) this point on the mountain,” he added, speaking from Horombo Huts camp on the mountainside.
Nnawe also appealed state internet provider expand operations to other off-grid tourist sites and national parks.
The move has been hailed by some in Tanzania as a boost to the tourism industry and by others ridiculed government on social media for not providing better internet access in remote villages and towns and improving services in commercial centres.
Tourism is vital to Tanzania’s economy, accounting for approx $1.4 billion in revenues in 2021, approx 6 percent gross domestic product. The industry is still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, which has halted global travel.
Mount Kilimanjaro is about 13 Empire State Buildings tall and protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also the largest free-standing volcanic massif on Earth, and its snowy peak attracts visitors from all over the world to Tanzania. Thousands of tourists attempt to climb Kilimanjaro every year, taking about a week to climb the majestic mountain.
Internet outreach is part of a broader government the project called the National ICT Broadband Backbone which is in part supported by China. Beijing has long sought to finance and develop communications and other infrastructure in the East African country, and Chen Mingjian, China’s ambassador to Tanzania, said. on Twitter his support for the Kilimanjaro project on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, during a tour of the continent, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken unveiled the Biden administration’s strategy to develop partnerships to help African countries become less dependent on foreign aid and tackle challenges such as climate change. The rejection comes as China pours money into Africa in the form of loans and investments, and Russia sends weapons and mercenaries.
“The United States will not dictate Africa’s choices, and neither will anyone else,” Blinken said in a speech at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. “The right to make these elections belongs to Africans and Africans alone.”
The Tanzanian government has made headlines in recent years after announcing plans For a cable car system on the southern side of Kilimanjaro to increase the number of tourists and provide access for those unable to climb it. Expedition groups, porters who help climbers and climate experts said the project would threaten the mountain’s delicate ecosystem and damage the local economy.
Earlier this month, climate experts warned that Africa’s national parks, home to thousands of wildlife species, are increasingly threatened by below-average rainfall, prolonged drought and major infrastructure projects that are hampering conservation efforts.
